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Intel is looking to put more green energy inside its operations, with the announcement that it plans to build eight new solar installations at sites in four U.S. states. The chip manufacturing giant said this week that the solar power projects will generate approximately 2.5 megawatts of energy.
At the same time the company is increasing its purchase of renewable energy credits by 10%.
Intel has been one of the more active companies on the green technology front, and its global investment arm, Intel Capital, has invested some $125 million to date on more than a dozen “cleantech” companies.
“Intel is committed to renewable energy to reduce our own carbon footprint as well as to spur the market and make renewables more economically feasible for individuals and businesses to deploy,” Brian Krzanich, Intel’s vice president of supply chain said in announcing the initiative.
The new solar installations will be completed over the next seven months at locations in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Oregon. Intel said each project would rank as one of the 10 largest solar installations in their respective regions. The solar panels planned for Intel’s Chandler and Ocotillo campuses in Arizona would currently be the fifth largest installations in the state.
The solar panels will be installed on the roofs of Intel’s facilities, with the exception of the largest installation – a one megawatt solar field to be built in Folsom, Calif. The Folsom installation will span nearly six acres of land on the Intel campus. The energy generated from each installation will be used on site to power Intel’s operations.
Intel did not reveal how much the solar projects would cost. Together the facilities will produce 2.5 megawatts – about enough to power 9,000 homes. Still, the facilities are expected to generate only about 7% of the energy required at each facility. Renderings of the sites can be viewed here.
Intel built its first solar thermal installation in Bangalore, India. The company said that project now supplies nearly 100% of the hot water requirements for two campuses, saving about 70,000 kilowatts per year.
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